Auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter

ABSTRACT

An auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is disclosed that can be daisy-chained with other power converters and/or an alternating current (AC) power source. The power converter automatically generates output AC power that is in parallel with external input AC power coming into the power converter when the power converter senses the external input AC power so that the power converter operates as a slave in this state. The power converter automatically generates output AC power when the power converter fails to detect the external input AC power coming into the power converter where the power converter operates as a master in this state. The power converter generates the output AC power without any reliance on the external input AC power generated by a utility grid and/or other AC power sources external to the power converter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/264,891, filed Apr. 29, 2014, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No.13/843,573, filed Mar. 15, 2013, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,444,397on Sep. 13, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appl. No.61/719,140, filed Oct. 26, 2012, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/264,891 is also a continuation-in-part of International ApplicationNo. PCT/US14/28723, filed Mar. 14, 2014, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 13/843,573, of which is alsoincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field of Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to power converters andspecifically to power converters that operate as both a master and aslave.

Related Art

Conventional power inverters convert an input power to an output powerso that the output power then powers external electronic devices asrequested by an individual. Conventional power inverters are designed sothat the input power is converted to the output power so that the outputpower is at a maximum power level based on the design specifications ofthe conventional power inverter. Conventional power inverters arelimited to powering external electronic devices that require power thatis equal to or less than the maximum power level of the conventionalpower inverters. Conventional power inverters cannot power externalelectronic devices that require power that exceeds the maximum powerlevel of the conventional power inverters.

For example, a conventional power inverter converts input power which isDC power to output power that is AC power. The conventional powerinverter is designed so that the DC power is converted to AC power at aparticular maximum output power level, e.g., of 1500 Watts (W). Theconventional power inverter can power a hair dryer that requires 1200 Wbut cannot power an electric saw that requires 2000 W. The userrequesting to power the electric saw with the conventional powerinverter designed for 1500 W cannot power the electric saw with thatconventional power inverter.

Conventional power inverters cannot be daisy chained together toincrease the output power of each conventional power inverter includedin the daisy chain. For example, the conventional power inverter that isdesigned so that the output power is at a maximum level of 1500 W cannotbe daisy chained with another conventional power inverter that isdesigned so that the output power is also at a maximum power level of1500 W to increase the output power level of the daisy chain to powerthe electric saw that requires 2000 W. Rather another conventional powerinverter that is designed so that the output power is at a maximum powerlevel that is equal to or exceeds 2000 W would have to be located topower the electric saw.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference tothe accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numeralsindicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, theleft most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in whichthe reference number first appears.

FIG. 1 illustrates a top-elevational view of an exemplaryauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter according to oneexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top-elevational view of an exemplaryauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter configuration accordingto one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter that may be used in the auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration according to one exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter that may be used in the auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration according to one exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration according to one exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter that may be used in the auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration according to one exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generallyindicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similarelements. The drawing in which an element first appears is generallyindicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the reference number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The following Detailed Description refers to accompanying drawings toillustrate exemplary embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.References in the Detailed Description to “one exemplary embodiment,”“an exemplary embodiment,” an “example exemplary embodiment,” etc.,indicate that the exemplary embodiment described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplaryembodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same exemplary embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic may be described in connectionwith an exemplary embodiment, it is within the knowledge of thoseskilled in the art(s) to affect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other exemplary embodiments whether ornot explicitly described.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for illustrativepurposes, and are not limiting. Other exemplary embodiments arepossible, and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodimentswithin the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, theDetailed Description is not meant to limit the present disclosure.Rather, the scope of the present disclosure is defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware,firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of thepresent disclosure may also be implemented as instructions supplied by amachine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or moreprocessors. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism forstoring or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine(e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium mayinclude read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magneticdisk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices;electrical optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals(e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.), andothers. Further firmware, software routines, and instructions may bedescribed herein as performing certain actions. However, it should beappreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and thatsuch actions in fact result from computing devices, processors,controllers, or other devices executing the firmware, software,routines, instructions, etc.

For purposes of this discussion, each of the various componentsdiscussed may be considered a module, and the term “module” shall beunderstood to include at least one of software, firmware, and hardware(such as one or more circuit, microchip, or device, or any combinationthereof), and any combination thereof. In addition, it will beunderstood that each module may include one, or more than one, componentwithin an actual device, and each component that forms a part of thedescribed module may function either cooperatively or independently ofany other component forming a part of the module. Conversely, multiplemodules described herein may represent a single component within anactual device. Further, components within a module may be in a singledevice or distributed among multiple devices in a wired or wirelessmanner.

The following Detailed Description of the exemplary embodiments will sofully reveal the general nature of the present disclosure that otherscan, by applying knowledge of those skilled in the relevant art(s),readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such exemplaryembodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, such adaptationsand modifications are intended to be within the meaning and plurality ofequivalents of the exemplary embodiments based upon the teaching andguidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseologyor terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not oflimitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the presentspecification is to be interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s)in light of the teachings herein.

An Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power Converter

FIG. 1 illustrates a top-elevational view of an exemplaryauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. An auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter 100 may be a standalone AC powergenerating device so that the power converter 100 is not reliant onconverting power provided by other power sources to the power converter100. For example, the power converter 100 is not limited to generatingoutput AC power 195 by passing through the external input AC power 112received from a power source into the output AC power 195 when the powerconverter 100 is coupled to the power source. Rather, the powerconverter 100 may still generate standalone output AC power 195 whenisolated from the power source and not receiving the external input ACpower 112 from the power source. Further, the power converter 100automatically synchronizes to the external input AC power 112 withoutuser intervention. As a result, the power converter 100 may parallel theoutput AC power 195 generated from the inverted DC power provided by theDC source with the external input AC power 112 when the output AC power195 is synchronized with the external input AC power 112. The DC sourcemay be internal and/or external to the power converter 100 that will beapparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The power converter 100 may receive the external input AC power 112. Theexternal input AC power 112 may be AC power that is generated by a powersource, such as a generator, AC inverter, and/or a utility grid. Thepower converter 100 may receive the external input AC power 112generated by the power source when the power converter 100 is coupled tothe power source. The external input AC power 112 may also be AC powergenerated by a second power converter when the power converter 100 iscoupled to the second power converter. The external input AC power 112may also be AC power generated by an AC power generator, AC powerinverter, a sinusoidal AC power inverter, and/or any other type of ACpower source independent from the power converter 100 that will beapparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The power converter 100 may generate the output AC power 195 that is inparallel with the external input AC power 112 when the output AC power195 is synchronized with the external input AC power 112. The powerconverter 100 may sense the external input AC power 112 when the powerconverter 100 is coupled to a power source. The power converter 100 mayalso sense the external input AC power 112 when the power converter 100is coupled to the second power converter and the second power converteris providing the external input AC power 112 to the power converter 100.

The power converter 100 may determine whether the external input ACpower 112 is synchronized with the output AC power 195 based on thepower signal characteristics of the external input AC power 112 and theoutput AC power 195. The power signal characteristics arecharacteristics associated with the sinusoidal waveform included in theexternal input AC power 112 and the output AC power 195. The powerconverter 100 may generate the output AC power 195 that is in parallelwith the external input AC power 112 when the power signalcharacteristics of the external input AC power 112 are within athreshold of the power signal characteristics of the output AC power 195so that the external input AC power 112 and the output AC power 195 aresynchronized. The power converter 100 may refrain from generating theoutput AC power 195 that is in parallel with the external input AC power112 when the power signal characteristics of the external input AC power112 are outside the threshold of the power signal characteristics of theoutput AC power 195 where the external input AC power 112 and the outputAC power 195 are not synchronized.

For example, the power converter 100 determines whether the externalinput AC power 112 and the output AC power 195 are synchronized based onthe frequency and the voltage of the sinusoidal waveform included in theexternal input AC power 112 and the frequency and the voltage of thesinusoidal waveform included in the output AC power 195. The powerconverter 100 generates the output AC power 195 that is in parallel withthe external input AC power 112 when the frequency and the voltage ofthe external input AC power 112 are within the threshold of 10% from thefrequency and the voltage of the output AC power 195 so that theexternal input AC power 112 and the output AC power 195 aresynchronized. The power converter 100 refrains from generating theoutput AC power 195 that is in parallel with the external input AC power112 when the frequency and the voltage of the external input AC power112 are outside the threshold of 10% from the frequency and the voltageof the output AC power 195 where the external input AC power 112 and theoutput AC power 195 are not synchronized. Rather, the power converter100 generates the output AC power 195 that is generated from the DCsource and refrains from combining the output AC power 195 with theexternal input AC power 112.

The power signal characteristics may include but are not limited tofrequency, phase, amplitude, current, voltage and/or any othercharacteristic of a power signal that will be apparent to those skilledin the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure. The power converter 100 may store the power signalcharacteristics of the external input AC power 112. The threshold of thepower signal characteristics associated with the input power as comparedto the output power may be any threshold that prevents damage fromoccurring to the power converter 100 by combining the external input ACpower 112 and the output AC power 195 when the power signalcharacteristics of each significantly differ resulting in damage thatwill be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The output AC power 195 generated by the power converter 100 may be ACpower that may be used to power electronic devices external to the powerconverter 100, such as a hairdryer, for example. The output AC power 195may also be AC power that may be provided to a third power converter.The power converter 100 may also convert the external input AC power 112to DC power and store the DC power internally to the power converter 100when the power converter is receiving the external input AC power 112but not providing the output AC power 195 to the external electronicdevices and/or the third power converter.

The power converter 100 may continue to provide output AC power 195 thatis not in parallel with the external input AC power 112 after the powerconverter 100 is no longer receiving the external input AC power 112thus the power converter 100 is not reliant on any other source togenerate the output AC power 195. For example, the power converter 100continues to provide output AC power 195 that is not in parallel withthe external input AC power 112 after the power converter 100 is nolonger coupled to a power source such that the power converter 100 is nolonger receiving the external input AC power 112 from the power source.In another example, the power converter 100 continues to provide outputAC power 195 that is not in parallel with the external input AC power112 after the power converter 100 is no longer receiving the externalinput AC power 112 from the second power converter.

The power converter 100 may sense when the power converter 100 is nolonger receiving the external input AC power 112. The power converter100 may then internally generate the output AC power 195 from thepreviously stored DC power by the power converter 100. For example, thepower converter 100 may have previously stored DC power that wasconverted from the input AC power 112 when the power converter 100 wasreceiving the input AC power 112. In another example, the powerconverter 100 may also have previously stored the DC power that wasconverted from solar energy captured by the power converter 100.

The power converter 100 may internally generate the output AC power 195by converting the previously stored DC power into the output AC power195. In one embodiment, the power converter 100 may synchronize thepower signal characteristics of the output AC power 195 that wasconverted from the previously stored DC power to be within the thresholdof the power signal characteristics of the input AC power 112 despite nolonger receiving the input AC power 112. For example, the powerconverter 100 synchronizes the output AC power 195 that was convertedfrom the previously stored DC power to have frequency and voltage thatis within a threshold of 10% from the input AC power 112 when the powerconverter 100 was receiving the input AC power 112. The power converter100 then provides the output AC power 195 when the power converter 100is no longer receiving the input AC power 112 while providing suchoutput AC power 195 with frequency and voltage that is within thethreshold of 10% from the previously received input AC power 112.

The power converter 100 may be scalable in size and may be able toprovide various levels of output power. For example, the power converter100 may be a portable model that may output approximately 250 W. Inanother example, the power converter 100 may be a permanent rooftopmodel that may output 2.5 kW.

The power converter 100 may also be efficiently packaged so that each ofthe necessary components required to generate the output AC power 195are packaged within a single housing for the power converter 100. Forexample, as will be discussed in more detail below, the DC source, DC toAC converter, controller, and/or each other necessary component requiredto generate the output AC power 195 may be housed within a singlehousing for the power converter 100. The housing of each necessarycomponent within the single housing for the power converter 100minimizes the amount of cabling required for the power converter 100 sothat transmission loss from the cabling is minimized.

The power converter 100 may also be relatively user friendly in that anindividual may find that operating the power converter 100 requiresrelatively minimal effort for the individual. For example, as will bediscussed in more detail below, the individual simply plugs in anexternal electronic device into the outlet provided by the powerconverter 100 to power the external electronic device. In anotherexample, the individual simply plugs in an additional power converterinto the outlet provided by the power converter 100 to daisy chain theadditional power converter to the power converter 100. In yet anotherexample, the power converter 100 that is daisy chained to the additionalpower converter automatically establish a relationship so that theindividual is not required to manually designate the master and theslave.

An Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power ConverterConfiguration

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an auto-synchronous isolated inletpower converter configuration according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter configuration 200 represents an auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration that includes a plurality ofauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converters 100(a-n) that may bedaisy chained together to form the auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter configuration 200, where n is an integer greater than or equalto two. Each power converter 100(a-n) that is added to the powerconverter configuration 200 may generate the output AC power 195 n thatis in parallel with the output AC power 195 a and the output AC power195 b of the power converter configuration 200. The power converterconfiguration 200 shares many similar features with the power converter100; therefore, only the differences between the power converterconfiguration 200 and the power converter 100 are to be discussed infurther detail.

As noted above, the power converter 100 a generates the output AC power195 a. However, the power converter 100 a may be limited to a maximumoutput power level for the output AC power 195 a. For example, if thepower converter 100 a is limited to the maximum output power level of500 Watts (W) for the output AC power 195 a, then regardless of theinput power level of the input AC power 112 a, the maximum output ACpower 195 a for the power converter 100 a is 500 W. However, if anindividual desires to power a hair dryer that requires 1500 W tooperate, the power converter 100 a cannot power the hair dryer becauseits maximum output AC power 195 a is 500 W.

However, additional power converters 100(b-n) may be daisy chained tothe power converter 100 a to parallel the output AC power 195 a so thatthe overall output power of the power converter configuration 200 isincreased. In daisy chaining the plurality of power converters 100(a-n),each power input for each power converter 100(b-n) is coupled to a poweroutput 195(b-n) of an power converter 100(b-n) that is ahead of thepower converter 100(b-n) in the daisy chain configuration. For example,the power input of the power converter 100 b is coupled to the poweroutput 195 a of the power converter 100 a so that the input AC power 112a received by the power converter 100 b is substantially equivalent tothe output AC power 195 a of the power converter 100 a. The power input112 n of the power converter 100 n is coupled to the power output 195 bof the power converter 100 b so that the input AC power 112 n receivedby the power converter 100 n is substantially equivalent to the outputAC power 195 b of the power converter 100 b.

After daisy chaining each of the plurality of power converters 100(a-n),each output AC power 195(a-n) may be paralleled with each input AC power112 a, 112 b, and/or 112 n to increase the overall output AC power ofthe power converter configuration 200. Each output AC power 195(a-n) maybe paralleled with each input AC power 112 a, 112 b, and 112 n so thatthe overall output AC power of the power converter configuration 200 maybe used to power the external electronic device that the individualrequests to operate, such as the hair dryer. The individual may accessthe overall output AC power by coupling the external electronic devicethat the individual requests to power, such as the hair dryer, into anyof the power converters 100(a-n). The individual is not limited tocoupling the external electronic device into the final power converter100 n in the power converter configuration 200 in order to access theoverall output AC power. Rather, the individual may access the overalloutput AC power by coupling the external electronic device to any of thepower converters 100(a-n) in the power converter configuration 200.

For example, if the maximum output AC power 195 a for the powerconverter 100 a is 500 W, the maximum output power that can be generatedby the power converter 100 b is also 500 W. The maximum output powerthat can be generated by the power converter 100 n is also 500 W.However, the power converter 100 b is daisy chained to the powerconverter 100 a and the power converter 100 b is daisy chained to thepower converter 100 n. As a result, the external input AC power 112 a,112 b, and 112 n for each of the power converters 100(a-n) is inparallel with the output AC power 195 a, 195 b, and 195 n for each ofthe power converters 100(a-n).

The output AC power 195 a, 195 b, and 195 n for each of the powerconverters 100(a-n) is 500 W. The power converter 100 b generates theoutput AC power 195 b of 500 W in parallel with the input AC power 112 bof 500 W so that the output AC power 195 b and/or the output AC power195 a is the paralleled AC output power of 1000 W when the powerconverter 100 b is daisy chained to the power converter 100 a. The powerconverter 100 n is then daisy chained to the power converters 100 a and100 b so that the output AC power 195 a, the output AC power 195 band/or the output AC power 195 n is the paralleled AC output power of1500 W. Thus, the maximum output AC power for the power converterconfiguration 200 is 1500 W. The maximum output AC power of 1500 W isnow sufficient to power the hair dryer that requires 1500 W to operate.

The individual may plug the hair dryer into any of the power converters100(a-n) in order to access the maximum output AC power of 1500 Wgenerated by the power converter configuration 200 to power the hairdryer. The individual is not limited to plugging the hair dryer into thepower converter 100 n simply because the power converter 100 n is thelast power converter in the daisy chain of the power converterconfiguration 200. The daisy chaining of each of the plurality of powerconverters 100(a-n) when the plurality of power converters 100(a-n) arenot coupled to a power source but generating paralleled output AC powermay be considered a standalone power converter micro grid.

Each of the power converters 100(a-n) included in the power converterconfiguration 200 may operate in a master/slave relationship with eachother. The master may be the originator of the output AC power for thepower converter configuration 200. The master may determine the powersignal characteristics of the output AC power originated by the masterin that each of the remaining slaves included in the power converterconfiguration 200 may be required to synchronize each of their ownrespective AC power output to the output AC power originated by themaster. Each respective AC power output that is synchronized to theoutput AC power originated by the master may be paralleled with theoutput AC power for the master.

For example, if a gas powered electric generator is connected to theinput AC power 112 a, the gas generator becomes the master of the powerconverter configuration 200 when the gas generator is the originator ofthe input AC power 112 a provided to the power converter 100 a. The gasgenerator would determine the frequency and the voltage for the input ACpower 112 a. Each power converter 100(a-n) then become a slave andsynchronizes each of their respective output AC power 195(a-n) to havefrequency and voltage within a threshold of 10% of the frequency andvoltage of the input AC power 112 a. Each output AC power 195(a-n) thatincludes frequency and voltage within the threshold of 10% of thefrequency and voltage of the AC power 112 a is synchronized with theinput AC power 112 a and is then paralleled with the input AC power 112a.

Each of the power converters (100 a-n) may operate as a slave for thepower converter configuration 200 when each of the power converters100(a-n) is receiving input AC power. Each of the power converters100(a-n) may operate as a master when each of the power converters100(a-n) no longer receives input AC power. For example, each of thepower converters 100(a-n) operate as the slave when the power converterconfiguration 200 is coupled to the gas generator so that the gasgenerator operates as the master for the power converter configuration200. Each of the power converters 100(a-n) is receiving input AC power.The power converter 100 a is receiving the input AC power 112 a from thegas generator making the power converter 100 a the slave. The powerconverter 100 b receives the input AC power 112 b from the powerconverter 100 a making the power converter 100 b the slave. Finally, thepower converter 100 n receives the input AC power 112 n from the powerconverter 100 b making the power converter 100 n the slave.

In another example, the power converter 100 a operates as the master forthe power converter configuration 200 when the power converterconfiguration 200 is no longer coupled to the power source and the powerconverter 100 a is generating the output AC power 195 a. Each of thepower converters 100(b-n) is receiving input AC power via the output ACpower 195 a internally generated by the master power converter 100 a.The power converter 100 b receives the input AC power 112 b from thepower converter 100 a and the power converter 100 n receives the inputAC power 112 n from the power converter 100 b.

The power converter configuration 200 may automatically transition themaster/slave designations between each of the power converters 100(a-n)without user intervention. As noted above, each of the power converters100(a-n) may be designated as the master of the power converterconfiguration 200 when any of the power converters 100(a-n) no longerreceive input AC power. However, the master power converter 100(a-n) mayautomatically transition to the slave when the master power converter100(a-n) senses input AC power coming into the master power converter100(a-n). At that point, the power converter 100(a-b) may automaticallyterminate the internal generation of its own output AC power from itsown previously stored DC power. The power converter 100(a-n) mayautomatically synchronize to the power signal characteristics of theinput AC power now being received by the power converter 100(a-n) toparallel the output AC power generated by each power converter 100(a-b)with input AC power. The power converter 100(a-n) is no longer a masterand transitions to a slave and begins generating output AC power fromthe input AC power now being received by it.

For example, when the power converter 100 b operates as a master it isnot receiving input AC power but is internally generating its own outputAC power 195 b from its own previously stored DC power. The powerconverter 100 b will continue to operate as the master until the powerconverter 100 b senses input AC power 112 b now being received by thepower converter 100 b. The power converter 100 a is now coupled to thepower converter 100 b and is generating the input AC power 112 b nowbeing received by the power converter 100 b. The power converter 100 bthen automatically terminates internally generating its own output ACpower 195 b from its own previously stored DC power. The power converter100 b automatically synchronizes the output AC power 195 b to be withinthe threshold of the frequency and voltage of the input AC power 112 b,which again is the output AC power 195 a, now being received from thepower converter 100 a to parallel the output AC power 195 b to the inputAC power 112 b. The power converter 100 b then transitions to the slavewhen the power converter 100 b generates the output AC power 195 b fromthe input AC power 112 b rather than its own previously stored DC power.

The power converter configuration 200 may also automatically transitionthe slave power converter 100(a-n) to a master without userintervention. As noted above, the power converter 100(a-n) may bedesignated as the slave of the power converter configuration 200 whenthe power converter 100(a-n) is receiving input AC power. However, theslave power converter 100(a-n) may automatically transition to themaster when the slave power converter 100(a-n) no longer senses input ACpower coming into the slave power converter 100(a-n). At that point, thepower converter 100(a-n) may automatically begin internally generatingits own output AC power from its own previously stored DC power. Thepower converter 100(a-n) may have stored the power signalcharacteristics of the input power previously received by the powerconverter 100(a-n). The power converter 100(a-n) may automaticallysynchronize its own output AC power to the input AC power no longerreceived by the power converter 100(a-n) based on the stored powersignal characteristics to parallel the output AC power to the input ACpower. The power converter 100(a-b) is no longer a slave and transitionsto a master when the power converter 100(a-b) begins internallygenerating its own output AC power from its own previously stored DCpower.

After the master-slave relationship is established between each of themaster power converters 100(a-n), the paralleled output AC power of themaster power converter configuration 200 may be maintained by the masterpower converter 100 a and each of the slave power converters 100(b-n).The master power converter 100 a may maintain the voltage of theparalleled output AC power while the slave power converters 100(b-n)provide the current to maintain the voltage of the paralleled output ACpower at a reference voltage.

However, the voltage of the paralleled output AC power may decrease whenthe external electronic device the individual requests to power, such asthe hair dryer, is coupled to at least one of the outputs for the powerconverters 100(a-n). Each of the slave power converters 100(b-n) mayincrease the current of the paralleled output AC power so that thevoltage of the paralleled output AC power maintained by the master powerconverter 100 a is increased back to the reference voltage sufficient togenerate the paralleled output AC power. The reference voltage of theparalleled output AC power is the voltage level that is to be maintainedto generate the paralleled output AC power that is sufficient to powerthe external electronic device. The reference voltage may be specifiedto be any voltage that is sufficient to maintain the paralleled outputAC power that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s)without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Each of the slave power converters 100(b-n) may continue to generatecurrent sufficient to maintain the voltage of the paralleled output ACpower at the reference voltage so that the external electronic device ispowered by the paralleled output AC power. However, eventually each ofthe slave power converters 100(b-n) may have their DC sources depletedto the point where each of the slave power converters 100(b-n) no longerhave current that is sufficient to maintain the voltage of theparalleled output AC power at the reference voltage sufficient togenerate the paralleled output AC power. At that point, the master powerconverter 100 a may begin to provide current to maintain the voltage ofthe paralleled output AC power at the reference voltage sufficient togenerate the paralleled output AC power.

The power converter configuration 200 may continue to generate output ACpower despite when the slave power converter 100(a-n) is no longerfunctional. The dysfunctional slave power converter 100(a-n) maycontinue to pass through the output AC power generated by the masterpower converter 100(a-n) to each of the other slave power converters100(a-n). For example, the master power converter 100 a acts as themaster and the power converters 100(b-n) act as the slaves. If the slavepower converter 100 b fails and is no longer functional, thedysfunctional slave power converter 100 b continues to pass through theoutput AC power 195 a generated by the master power converter 100 a tothe functional slave power converter 100 n so that the functional slavepower converter power converter 100 n continues to generate the outputAC power 195 n from the output AC power 195 a.

An Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power Converter

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter 300 that may be used in the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter configuration 200 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Although, FIG. 3 depictsa block diagram of the power converter 300, one of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that FIG. 3 may also depict a block diagram of thefunctionality of the plurality of power converters 100(a-n) used in thepower converter configuration 200 depicted in FIG. 2 and also thefunctionality of the power converter 100 depicted in FIG. 1. The powerconverter 300 may automatically transition to internally generatingoutput AC power 195 based on the DC power 355 provided by the DC source320 when the power signal sensor 340 no longer senses the received inputAC power 315. The power converter 300 may also automatically transitionto operating as a master when the power signal sensor 340 no longersenses the received input AC power 315. The power converter 300 may alsoautomatically transition to operating as a slave when the power signalsensor 340 begins to sense the received input AC power 315.

The power converter 300 may be implemented using a DC source 320, an ACinlet receptacle 330, a power signal sensor 340, a power signalsynchronizer 350, a controller 360, a DC to AC converter 370, a powersignal synchronizer 380, and an AC outlet receptacle 390. Each of whichis enclosed within a housing for the power converter 300. The powerconverter 300 shares many similar features with the power converter 100and the plurality of power converters 100(a-n); therefore, only thedifferences between the power converter 300 and the power converter 100and the plurality of power converters 100(a-n) are to be discussed infurther detail.

The DC source 320 receives and stores DC power 355. The DC source 320stores the DC power 355 until requested to provide the DC power 355. TheDC power 355 provided by the DC source 320 may include low-voltage buthigh energy DC power. The DC source 320 may include one or more lithiumion phosphate (LiFePO₄) and/or one or more lead acid cells. However,this example is not limiting, those skilled in the relevant art(s) mayimplement the DC source 320 using any other DC source and/or otherbattery chemistries without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. The one or more cells of the DC source 320 convertchemical energy into electrical energy via an electromechanicalreaction. The DC source 320 may be internal and/or external to the powerconverter 300 that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevantart(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As noted above, the power converter 300 may automatically transitionbetween the master and/or slave designations without user intervention.The power converter 300 may be operating as a slave when the AC inletreceptacle 330 is receiving the external input AC power 112. The inputAC power 112 may be AC power that is generated by the power source. TheAC inlet receptacle 330 may receive the input AC power 112 when the ACinlet receptacle 330 is coupled to the power source. The input AC power112 may also be AC power generated by a second power converter when theAC inlet receptacle 330 is coupled to the second power converter. Theinput AC power 112 may also be AC power generated by an AC powergenerator, AC power inverter, and/or any other type of AC power sourceindependent from the power converter 300 that will be apparent to thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure.

The AC inlet receptacle 330 may include a male configuration or a femaleconfiguration. In one embodiment, the AC inlet receptacle 330 mayinclude a male configuration so that an individual cannot mistakenlyplug an external electronic device into the AC inlet receptacle with theintent to power the external electronic device. Typically, externalelectronic devices include plugs in male configurations. The AC inletreceptacle 330 may be fuse protected. The AC inlet receptacle 330 may beconfigured to receive the input AC power 112 in American, European,and/or any other power format that will be apparent to those skilled inthe relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure. The AC inlet receptacle 330 may include an Edison plug, anyof the several International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) plugsand/or any other type of plug that will be apparent to those skilled inthe relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure.

The AC inlet receptacle 330 may provide received input AC power 315 to apower signal sensor 340. The power signal sensor 340 may sense the powerconverter 300 is receiving the input AC power 112 through the AC inletreceptacle 330 based on the received input AC power 315 received fromthe AC inlet receptacle 330. After the power signal sensor 340 sensesthe received input AC power 315, the power signal sensor 340 generatesan incoming AC power signal 325. The incoming AC power signal 325provides information regarding power signal characteristics of the inputAC power 112 that the power converter 300 is receiving through the ACinlet receptacle 330. The incoming AC power signal 325 may provideinformation regarding power signal characteristics of the input AC power112 that includes but is not limited to frequency, phase, amplitude,current, voltage and/or any other characteristic of a power signal thatwill be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The power signal sensor 340 provides the incoming AC power signal 325 toa power signal synchronizer 350. The power signal synchronizer 350determines the power signal characteristics of the input AC power 112that are provided by the incoming AC power signal 325. For example, thepower signal synchronizer 350 determines the frequency, phase,amplitude, voltage and/or current of the input AC power 112. The powersignal synchronizer 350 generates a synchronized input power signal 335that provides the power signal characteristics of the input AC power 112to a controller 360. In one embodiment, the power signal synchronizer350 determines the power signal characteristics of the input AC power112 by monitoring the voltage of the incoming AC power signal 325.

The power signal synchronizer 350 also synchronizes the converted ACpower 367 that is generated by the DC to AC converter 370 with the powersignal characteristics of the input AC power 112. The power signalsynchronizer 350 determines whether the power signal characteristics ofthe input AC power 112 are within the threshold of the power signalcharacteristics of the converted AC power 367. The power signalsynchronizer 350 synchronizes the input AC power 112 with the convertedAC power 367 when the power signal characteristics of the input AC power112 are within the threshold of the power signal characteristics of theconverted AC power 367. The power signal synchronizer 350 refrains fromsynchronizing the input AC power 112 with the converted AC power 367when the power signal characteristics of input AC power 112 are outsidethe threshold of the power signal characteristics of the converted ACpower 367.

For example, the power signal synchronizer 350 determines whether thefrequency and the voltage of the sinusoidal waveform included in theinput AC power 112 are within a threshold of 10% from the frequency andthe voltage of the sinusoidal waveform included in the converted ACpower 367. The power signal synchronizer 350 synchronizes the input ACpower 112 with the converted AC power 367 when the frequency and thevoltage of the input AC power 112 are within the threshold of 10% fromthe frequency and the voltage of the converted AC power 367. The powersignal synchronizer 350 refrains from synchronizing the input AC power112 with the converted AC power 367 when the frequency and the voltageof the input AC power 112 are outside the threshold of 10% from thefrequency and the voltage of the converted AC power 367.

The output AC power 195 includes the input AC power 112 in parallel withthe converted AC power 367 when the converted AC power 367 issynchronized with the input AC power 112. For example, the power signalsynchronizer 350 synchronizes the converted AC power 367 to operate atwithin the threshold of 10% from the frequency and voltage of the inputAC power 112. In one embodiment, the input AC power 112 embodies asubstantially pure sinusoidal waveform. The substantially puresinusoidal waveform may represent an analog audio waveform which issubstantially smooth and curved rather than a digital audio waveformthat includes squared off edges. In such an embodiment, the power signalsynchronizer 350 synchronizes the converted AC power 367 to be within athreshold of the pure sinusoidal waveform embodied by the input AC power112. After the power signal synchronizer 350 synchronizes the convertedAC power 367 to the power signal characteristics of the input AC power112, the power signal synchronizer 350 notifies the controller 360 ofthe synchronization via the synchronized input power signal 335.

The controller 360 receives the synchronized input power signal 335. Thecontroller 360 determines the power signal characteristics of the inputAC power 112 and then stores the power signal characteristics in amemory included in the controller 360. For example, the controller 360stores the frequency, phase, amplitude, voltage and/or current of theinput AC power 112. After receiving the synchronized input power signal335, the controller 360 is aware that the input AC power 112 is coupledto the AC inlet receptacle 330. In response to the input AC power 112coupled to the AC inlet receptacle 330, the controller 360 stopsgenerating a reference clock for the power converter 300 because theconverted AC power 367 is now synchronized with the input AC power 112.

Also, in response to the input AC power 112 coupled to the AC inletreceptacle 330, the controller 360 also generates a DC source signal345. The controller 360 instructs the DC source 320 via the DC sourcesignal 345 to no longer provide the DC power 355 to the DC to ACinverter 370. The instruction by the controller 360 to the DC source 320to no longer provide the DC power 355 to the DC to AC inverter 370 alsoterminates the output AC power 195 that is generated from the DC power355.

Further, in response to the input AC power 112 coupled to the AC inletreceptacle 330, the controller 360 confirms that the power signalsynchronizer 350 has synchronized the converted AC power 367 to thepower signal characteristics of the input AC power 112. After confirmingthat the power signal synchronizer 350 has synchronized the converted ACpower 367 to the power signal characteristics of the input AC power 112,the controller 360 links in parallel the input AC power 112 beingreceived by the AC inlet receptacle 330 with the converted AC power 367to the AC outlet receptacle 390 to generate the parallel AC power 195.The AC outlet receptacle 390 then outputs the output AC power 195 thatincludes the input AC power 112 in parallel with the converted AC power367 with power signal characteristics that are within the threshold ofthe power signal characteristics of the input AC power 112. For example,the frequency and voltage of the output AC power 195 may be within thethreshold of the frequency and voltage of the input AC power 112.

The controller 360 refrains from linking in parallel the input AC power112 being received by the AC inlet receptacle 330 with the converted ACpower 367 to the AC outlet receptacle 390 to generate the parallel ACpower 395 when the input AC power 112 fails to synchronize with theconverted AC power 367. Rather, the converted AC power 367 is simplyprovided to the AC outlet receptacle 390 so that the output AC power 195is output AC power that includes the converted AC power 367 but does notinclude the input AC power 112 in parallel with the converted AC power367.

The AC outlet receptacle 390 may include a male configuration or afemale configuration. In one embodiment, the AC outlet receptacle 390may include a female configuration so that an individual can easily plugan external electronic device into the AC outlet receptacle 390 with theintent to power the external electronic device. Typically, externalelectronic devices include plugs in male configurations. In anotherembodiment, the AC outlet receptacle 390 may include a configurationthat is opposite that of the AC inlet receptacle 330. For example, theAC inlet receptacle 330 may include a male configuration while the ACoutlet receptacle 390 includes a female configuration.

The AC outlet receptacle 390 may be fuse protected. The AC outletreceptacle 390 may be configured to provide the output AC power 195 inAmerican, European, and/or any other power format that will be apparentto those skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure. The AC outlet receptacle 390 mayinclude an Edison plug, any of the several InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC) plugs and/or any other type of plugthat will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As noted above, the power converter 300 may automatically transitionbetween the master and/or slave designations without user intervention.The power converter 300 may automatically transition from operating as aslave to operating as a master when the AC input power signal 112diminishes and is no longer received by the AC inlet receptacle 330. Thecontroller 360 no longer receives the synchronized input power signal335 providing information regarding the external input AC power 112. Atthat point, the controller 360 generates the DC source signal 345 toinstruct the DC source 320 to begin generating the DC power 355. Thecontroller 360 generates a power conversion signal 365 to instruct theDC to AC converter 370 to convert the DC power 355 to converted AC power367. The converted AC power 367 is high-voltage output AC power. In oneembodiment, the DC to AC converter 370 may use high frequency modulationin converting the DC power 355 to the converted AC power 367.

The controller 360 then provides a synchronized output power signal 385to the power signal synchronizer 380. The synchronized output powersignal 385 provides the power signal characteristics of the externalinput AC power 112 when the input power signal 112 was coupled to the ACinlet receptacle 330 to the power signal synchronizer 380. For example,the synchronized output power signal 385 provides the frequency, phase,amplitude, voltage and/or current of the input power signal 112 to thepower signal synchronizer 380. The synchronized output power signal 385also provides a reference clock to the power signal synchronizer 380.

The power signal synchronizer 380 then generates synchronized output ACpower 375 by synchronizing the converted AC power 367 to the powersignal characteristics of the input AC power 112 and the reference clockprovided by the synchronized output power signal 385. In one embodiment,the input AC power 112 embodies a substantially pure sinusoidalwaveform. In such an embodiment, the power signal synchronizer 380synchronizes the converted AC power 367 to be within the threshold ofthe pure sinusoidal waveform embodied by the input AC power 112. Thesynchronized output AC power 375 includes power signal characteristicsthat are within the threshold of the power signal characteristics of theinput AC power 112. For example, the synchronized output AC power 375includes a frequency and voltage that is within the threshold of thefrequency and voltage of the input AC power 112. The AC outletreceptacle 390 then generates the output AC power 195 based on thesynchronized output power 375. Thus, the power converter 300 generatesthe output AC power 195 that is substantially similar to the input ACpower 112 despite not receiving the input AC power 112 from othersources.

An Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power Converter

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter 400 that may be used in the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter configuration 200 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Although, FIG. 4 depictsa block diagram of the power converter 400, one of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that FIG. 4 may also depict a block diagram of theplurality of power converters 100(a-n) used in the power converterconfiguration 200 depicted in FIG. 2 and also the power converter 100depicted in FIG. 1. One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognizethat features depicted in the block diagram of the power converter 300may also be included in the power converter 400 but have been omittedfor clarity.

The power converter 400 may automatically transition from operating as amaster and operating as a slave without user intervention based on arelay configuration. The transitioning of the relay configuration mayautomatically transition the power converter 400 between operating as amaster and operating as a slave without user intervention. The powerconverter 400 may be implemented using the DC source 320, the AC inletreceptacle 330, the controller 360, the DC to AC converter 370, the ACoutlet receptacle 390, a first relay 410 and a second relay 420. Each ofwhich is enclosed within a housing for the power converter 400. Thepower converter 400 shares many similar features with the powerconverter 100, the plurality of power converters 100(a-n), and the powerconverter 300; therefore, only the differences between the powerconverter 400 and the power converter 100, the plurality of powerconverters 100(a-n), and the power converter 300 are to be discussed infurther detail.

As noted above, the power converter 400 operates as a slave when thecontroller 360 senses that the input AC power 112 is coupled to the ACinlet receptacle 330. The controller 360 then terminates the generationof the output AC power 195. The power converter 400 operates as a masterwhen the controller 360 no longer senses that the input AC power 112 iscoupled to the AC inlet receptacle 330. The controller 360 theninstructs the DC source 320 and the DC to AC inverter 370 to begingenerating the output AC power 195. The relay configuration thatincludes a first relay 410 and a second relay 420 transitions the powerconverter 400 between the master and slave modes based on the logicprovided in Table 1. The relay configuration that includes the firstrelay 410 and the second relay 420 may include but is not limited to ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), atransistor, an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a solid-stateswitch, a solid state relay, spring loaded relay switches and/or anyother relay and/or combination of relays that will be apparent to thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure.

TABLE 1 Master Mode Relay 1 Open Relay 2 Closed Slave Mode Relay 1Closed Relay 2 Closed Unit Power Off (Bypassed) Relay 1 Closed Relay 2Open

When automatically transitioning from the slave mode to the master mode,the controller 360 no longer senses the input AC power 112 coupled tothe AC inlet receptacle 330. At this point, the controller 360 generatesa first relay signal 450 that instructs the first relay 410 transitionto the open state (logic 0). The controller 360 also generates a secondrelay signal 460 that instructs the second relay 420 to transition tothe closed state (logic 1). The controller 360 also generates DC sourcesignal 345 that instructs the DC source 320 to begin providing the DCpower 355 to the DC to AC converter 370 to generate the converted ACpower 367. Because the second relay 420 is in the closed position (logic1), the converted AC power 367 passes through the second relay 420, andas shown by arrow 480, onto the AC outlet receptacle 390 so that thepower converter 400 provides the output AC power 195 generated from theDC power 355 rather than the input AC power 112. The open state (logic0) of the first relay 410 prevents any remaining input AC power 112 frompassing through to the AC output receptacle 390 when the power converter400 is generating the output AC power 195 as operating as the master. Asa result, the AC inlet receptacle 330 may be isolated from the AC outletreceptacle 390.

Once the controller 360 senses the input AC power 112 coupled to the ACinlet receptacle 330, the controller 360 automatically generates thepower conversion signal 365 to instruct the DC to AC converter 370 to nolonger provide the converted AC power 367 so that the power converter400 no longer generates the output AC power 195. The controller 360 alsoautomatically generates the second relay signal 460 to instruct thesecond relay 420 to transition to the open state (logic 0). Thecontroller 360 also generates the first relay signal 450 to instruct thefirst relay 410 to transition to the closed state (logic 1). After thesecond relay 420 transitions to the open state (logic 0) and the firstrelay 410 transitions to the closed state (logic 1), any input AC power112 coupled to the AC inlet receptacle 330 passes through the firstrelay 410, and as shown by arrow 470, onto the AC outlet receptacle 390so that the power converter 400 generates the output AC power 195.

However, the second relay 420 is still in the open state (logic 0). Thecontroller 360 is not going to instruct the second relay 420 totransition into the closed state (logic 1) until the controller 360 hassuccessfully synchronized the power converter 400 to the input AC power112 coupled to the AC inlet receptacle 330. After the controller 360properly synchronizes the power converter 400 to the input AC power 112,the controller 360 generates the second relay signal 460 to instruct thesecond relay 420 to transition from the open state (logic 0) to theclosed state (logic 1). After the second relay 420 transitions from theopen state (logic 0) to the closed state (logic 1), then the powerconverter 400 is generating output AC power 195 that includes theconverted AC power 367 that is in parallel to the input AC power 112.

The power converter 400 also operates in a bypass mode. In the bypassmode, the power converter 400 is powered off and is no longerfunctioning. In embodiment, the controller 360 generates the first relaysignal 450 and instructs the first relay 410 to transition into theclosed state (logic 1). The controller 360 also generates the secondrelay signal 460 and instructs the second relay 420 to transition intothe open state (logic 0). In another embodiment, the first relay 410 andthe second relay 420 are spring loaded relay switches. When the powerconverter 400 powers off, the electromagnetic coil of the first relay410 is no longer energized so the spring pulls the contacts in the firstrelay 410 into the up position. The closing of the first relay 410 andthe opening of the second relay 420 cause the power converter 400 to bea pass through where the input AC power 112 passes through the powerconverter 400 and onto a second power converter daisy chained to thepower converter 400 and/or to an external electronic device beingpowered by the external input AC power 112. Thus, additional powerconverters and/or external electronic devices down the line from thedysfunctional power converter 400 continue to operate off of theexternal input AC power 112. The first relay 410 and the second relay420 may be implemented may be implemented in hardware, firmware,software, or any combination thereof that will be apparent to thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure.

A Second Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power ConverterConfiguration

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration 500 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Although, FIG. 5 depicts a blockdiagram of the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converterconfiguration 500, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatFIG. 5 may also depict a block diagram of the plurality ofauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converters 100(a-n) used in theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter configuration 200depicted in FIG. 2 and also the auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter 100 depicted in FIG. 1. One of ordinary skill in the art willalso recognize that features depicted in the block diagram of theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter 300 and 400 may also beincluded in the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converters 530 aand 530 b but have been omitted for clarity.

The power converter configuration 500 may be implemented using themaster power converter 530 a and the slave power converter 530 b. Themaster power converter 530 a includes a master AC inlet receptacle 330a, a master AC outlet receptacle 390 a, a master controller 360 a, and amaster DC to AC converter 370 a. The slave power converter 530 bincludes a slave AC inlet receptacle 330 b, a slave AC outlet receptacle390 b, a slave controller 360 b, and a slave DC to AC converter 370 b.The master power converter 530 a and the slave power converter 530 b arecoupled together by the AC bus 550. The master power converter 530 a andthe slave power converter 530 b share many similar features with thepower converter 100, the plurality of power converters 100(a-n), thepower converter 300, and the power converter 400; therefore, only thedifferences between the power converter configuration 500 and the powerconverter 100, the plurality of power converters 100(a-n), the powerconverter 300, and the power converter 400 are to be discussed infurther detail.

For discussion purposes, the power converter 530 a operates as themaster and the power converter 530 b operates as the slave. However, asdiscussed in detail above, the power converters 530 a and 530 b mayoperate as either the master or slave depending on whether input ACpower is applied to the respective AC inlet receptacle of each. Themaster power converter 530 a may apply a constant voltage to an AC bus550 that is coupling the AC inlet receptacle 330 a and the AC outletreceptacle 390 a of the master power converter 530 a to the AC inletreceptacle 330 b and the AC outlet receptacle 390 b of the slave powerconverter 530 b to maintain the paralleled output AC power generated bythe power converter configuration 500. The slave power converter 530 bmay increase the current applied to the AC bus 550 when the voltage ofthe AC bus 550 decreases below the reference voltage due to an externalelectronic device being coupled to the power converter configuration500. The slave power converter 530 b may increase the current applied tothe AC bus 550 so that the voltage of the AC bus 550 is increased backto the reference voltage so that the paralleled output AC power ismaintained to adequately power the external electronic device.

After the master power converter 530 a has synchronized with the slavepower converter 530 b, the external input AC power 112 a is in parallelwith the output AC power 195 a and the output AC power 195 b generatingthe paralleled output AC power. The paralleled output AC power may beaccessed by coupling the external electronic device to the master ACoutlet receptacle 390 a and/or the slave AC outlet receptacle 390 b. TheAC bus 550 may provide an access point to the paralleled output AC powerfor the master controller 360 a and the slave controller 360 b tomonitor.

The master controller 360 a may initially instruct the master DC to ACconverter 370 a with a master power conversion signal 365 a to provide aconstant master voltage 560 a to the AC bus 550 to maintain theparalleled output AC power at a specified level. The specified level maybe the maximum output AC power that may be generated by the powerconverter configuration 500 with the external input AC power 112 a inparallel with the output AC power 195 a and the output AC power 195 b.However, the specified level may be lowered based on the constant mastervoltage 560 a supplied by the master DC to AC converter 370 a to the ACbus 550. The specified level may be associated with the referencevoltage of the paralleled output AC power. As noted above, the referencevoltage of the paralleled output AC power is the voltage level that isto be maintained to generate the paralleled output AC power that issufficient to power the external electronic device.

After an external electronic device is coupled to the master AC outletreceptacle 390 a and/or the slave AC outlet receptacle 390 b, theparalleled output AC power may temporarily decrease due to the loadapplied to the AC bus 550 by the external electronic device. The slavecontroller 360 b may monitor the AC bus 550 with a slave AC busmonitoring signal 570 b to monitor the voltage of the AC bus 550 todetermine whether the voltage has decreased below the reference voltageof the AC bus 550 which in turn indicates that the paralleled output ACpower has decreased below the specified level. The slave controller 360b may then instruct the slave DC to AC converter 370 b with a slavepower conversion signal 365 b to increase the slave current 580 b thatis provided to the AC bus 550 when the slave controller 360 b determinesthat the voltage of the AC bus 550 decreases after the externalelectronic device is coupled to the master AC outlet receptacle 390 aand/or the slave AC outlet receptacle 390 b. The slave current 580 b maybe increased to a level sufficient to increase the voltage of the AC bus550 back to the reference voltage. Increasing the voltage of the AC bus550 back to the reference voltage also increases the paralleled outputAC power so that the paralleled output AC power is reinstated to thespecified level with a minimal lapse in time. The maintaining of theparalleled output AC power at the specified level prevents a delay inthe powering of the external electronic device.

The slave controller 360 b may continue to monitor voltage of the AC bus550 with the slave AC bus monitoring signal 570 b to ensure that thevoltage of the AC bus 550 does not decrease below the reference voltage.The slave controller 360 b may continue to instruct the slave DC to ACconverter 370 b with the slave power conversion signal 365 b to increaseor decrease the slave current 580 b accordingly based on the voltage ofthe AC bus 550 to maintain the paralleled output AC power at thespecified level.

The slave DC to AC converter 370 b may continue to provide the slavecurrent 580 b to the AC bus 550 until the slave DC to AC converter 370 bno longer has the capability to provide the slave current 580 b at thelevel necessary to maintain the voltage of the AC bus 550 at thereference voltage. For example, the slave DC to AC converter 370 b maycontinue to provide the slave current 580 b to the AC bus 550 until theDC source of the slave power converter 530 b is drained to the pointwhere the slave DC to AC converter 370 b can no longer provide the slavecurrent 580 b at the level sufficient to maintain the voltage of the ACbuss 550 at the reference voltage.

The master controller 360 a also monitors the AC bus 550 with a masterAC bus monitoring signal 570 a. The master controller 360 b monitors theAC bus 550 to determine when the voltage of the AC bus 550 decreasesbelow the reference voltage for a period of time and is not increasedback to the reference voltage. At that point, the master controller 360a may recognize that the slave DC to AC converter 370 b is no longergenerating slave current 580 b at the level sufficient to maintain thevoltage of the AC bus 550 at the reference voltage. The mastercontroller 360 a may then instruct the master DC to AC converter 370 awith the master power conversion signal 365 a to increase the mastercurrent 580 a to a level sufficient to increase the voltage of the ACbus 550 back to the reference voltage so that the paralleled output ACpower may be maintained at the specified level. As a result, a delay inthe powering of the external electronic device may be minimized despitethe draining of the DC source of the slave power converter 530 b.

An Exemplary Auto-Synchronous Isolated Inlet Power Converter

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter 600 that may be used in the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter configuration 200 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Although, FIG. 6 depictsa block diagram of the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter600, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that FIG. 6 mayalso depict a block diagram of the plurality of auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converters 100(a-n) used in the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter configuration 200 depicted in FIG. 2, andthe auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter 100 depicted inFIG. 1. One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize thatfeatures depicted in the block diagram of the auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter 300, 400, 530 a, and 530 b may also be included inthe auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter 600 but have beenomitted for clarity.

The power converter 600 may be implemented using a battery chargecircuit 610, a current amplifier 612, the DC source 320, a batterybalancer protection circuit 620, a step transformer 630, a locationmodule 640, an AC voltage step down transformer DC output 650, awireless data transmitter and receiver 660, a thermal protection module670, an integrated light source module 680, an AC frequency correctionand filter circuit 690, a protection circuit 615, the AC inletreceptacle 330, the controller 360, the DC to AC converter 370, afrequency, amplitude, phase detection synchronizer and frequencymultiplexing transceiver 625, a 50 or 60 Hertz (Hz) true sine wavegenerator 635, a cooling fan 645, a protection circuit 665, an AC powercoupling switch 655 and the AC outlet receptacle 390. The powerconverter 600 shares many similar features with the power converter 100,the plurality of power converters 100(a-n), the power converter 300, thepower converter 400, and the power converters 530 a and 530 b;therefore, only the differences between the power converter 600 and thepower converter 100, the plurality of power converters 100(a-n), thepower converter 300, the power converter 400, and the power converters530 a and 530 b are to be discussed in further detail.

The battery charge circuit 610 may include passive and/or activecircuitry as well as integrated circuits to control and/or regulate thecharging of the DC source 320 included within the power converter 600.The battery charge circuit 610 may have bidirectional communication witha computing device, such as controller 360. The controller 360 may alsocontrol the battery charge circuit 610. The current amplifier 612 mayincrease the output current of the power converter and assist incharging the DC source 320.

The battery balancer protection circuit 620 is disposed within thehousing 602 of the power converter 600. The battery balancer protectioncircuit 620 may include passive and/or active circuitry as well asintegrated circuits that may be controlled by the controller 360. Thebattery balancer protection circuit 620 may be used to ensure safedischarge and recharge of the individual cells within the DC source 320.

The power converter 600 may further include a location module 640. Thelocation module 640 may include one or several location sensors such as,but not limited to, a global positioning system (GPS), a compass, agyroscope, an altimeter, and/or any other location sensor digital mediafile that will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s)without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thelocation module 640 may be used to send data to the controller 360through the wireless data transmitter and receiver 660 to an externalpersonal computing device.

The AC voltage step down transformer 650 is included in the powerconverter 600. The step down transformer 650 may be used to charge theDC source 320 from the AC inlet receptacle 330 through the batterycharge circuit 610. The step down transformer 650 may include iron,steel, ferrite or any other materials and fashioned specifically tosatisfy power requirements for charging the DC source 320. The step downtransformer 650 may also have a filtered DC output.

As discussed above, the power converter 600 includes a computing devicesuch as the controller 360. The controller 360 may be used to controland/or monitor the power converter 600. The controller 360 may be asingle or multiple processor based and may be able to receive softwareand/or firmware updates wirelessly through the associated wireless datatransmitter and receiver 660 or through a hardware connection such asthe frequency multiplexing transceiver 625. The controller 360 may beconnected to any part of the power converter 600 for central control,remote control, general monitoring, and/or data collection purposes. Thewireless data transmitter and receiver 660 may use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,cellular, and/or any other acceptable radio frequency data transmissionsand reception techniques that will be apparent to those skilled in therelevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure. The transmitter and receiver 660 may be used to transmitdata from the power converter 600 to one or more external personalcomputing devices.

The power converter 600 includes a thermal protection module 670. Thethermal protection module 670 includes one or more sensors positioned inone or more locations throughout any part of the power converter 600 forthe purpose of temperature monitoring. The thermal protection module 670is connected to the controller 360 and may be used to transmit data fromthe power converter 600 to external personal computing devices.

As shown, the power converter 600 may include the integrated lightsource 680. The integrated light source 680 may include one or moreintegrated lights inside or disposed on an exterior surface of thehousing 602 of the power converter 600 and may be used as a lightsource. The integrated lights may vary in color, intensity, temperature,size, frequency, and/or brightness. The integrated light source 680 maybe coupled to the controller 660. The integrated light source 680 may beused to transmit data from the power converter 600 to external personalcomputing devices.

The power converter 600 further includes a grid frequency, amplitude,power phase detection synchronizer and frequency multiplexingtransceiver 625, which may synchronize multiple AC power sources andtransmit data between one or more power converters 600 via a standard ACpower line.

The power converter 600 further includes a frequency generator, such asa true sine wave generator 635, such as a 50 Hz or 60 Hz true sine wavegenerator 635. The frequency generator may be other types of generatorsconfigured to output a signal at a particular reference frequency. Thesine wave generator 635 may provide a sine wave reference to the DC toAC converter 370. The sine wave generator 635 may be coupled to thecontroller 360 as well as the grid frequency, amplitude, power phasedetection synchronizer and frequency multiplexing transceiver 625.Moreover, the sine wave generator 635 may include analog and/or digitalcircuitry.

The power converter 600 may further include a cooling fan 645 disposedwithin the housing 602 of the power converter 600. The cooling fan 645may include one or more cooling fans arranged in a way that bestventilates an interior at least partially formed by the housing 602 ofthe power converter 600 in which one or more components are disposed.The cooling fan 645 may be coupled to the thermal protection module 670and/or the controller 360.

Furthermore, the power converter 600 includes an AC frequency correctionand filter circuit 690. The frequency correction and filter circuit 690may be controlled by the controller 360 through the 50 Hz or 60 Hz truesine wave generator 635. In addition, the frequency correction andfilter circuit 590 may receive AC power from the step up transformer 630and may output corrected and filtered AC power to a protection circuit615 of the power converter 600. The protection circuit 615 providessurge and fuse protection and may be controlled and monitored by thecontroller 360.

Moreover, the power converter 600 an AC coupling switch 655 that isconfigured to couple the AC power from the AC inlet receptacle 330 withAC grid equivalent power generated by the power converter 600 such thatsynchronized AC power from the AC inlet receptacle 330 and the powerconverter 600 are coupled together for output from the AC outletreceptacle 390. The AC coupling switch 655 may be controlled by thecontroller 360 in conjunction with the grid frequency, amplitude, powerphase detection synchronizer and frequency multiplexing transceiver 625.

CONCLUSION

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notthe Abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims.The Abstract section may set forth one or more, but not all exemplaryembodiments, of the present disclosure, and thus, are not intended tolimit the present disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

The present disclosure has been described above with the aid offunctional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specifiedfunctions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functionalbuilding blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenienceof the description. Alternate boundaries may be defined so long as thespecified functions and relationships thereof are appropriatelyperformed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) that variouschanges in form and detail can be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Thus the present disclosure shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter, comprising: a controller configured to automatically generateparalleled output alternating current (AC) power for theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter when external input ACpower is coupled to the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power convertervia an AC inlet receptacle, wherein the paralleled output AC power is acombination of the external input AC power and direct current (DC) powersupplied by a DC source that is converted to additional AC power so thatthe additional AC power is synchronized and combined in parallel to theexternal input AC power; and an AC outlet receptacle configured toprovide the paralleled output AC power to systems external to theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter.
 2. The auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter of claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to automatically transition the paralleled output ACpower generated by the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converterto output AC power when the external input AC power is no longer coupledto the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter, wherein theoutput AC power is converted from the DC power supplied by the DC sourceof the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter and is not inparallel with the external input AC power.
 3. The auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter of claim 2, wherein the AC outletreceptacle is further configured to provide the output AC power to thesystems external to the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converterwhen the external input AC power is no longer coupled to theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter.
 4. The auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter of claim 3, further comprising: a DC toAC converter configuration configured to generate paralleled output ACpower to the AC outlet receptacle when the auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter is operating in a slave mode, wherein theparalleled output AC power is the output AC power generated from theexternal input AC power and the DC power supplied by the DC source thatis converted to additional AC power that is synchronized and in parallelwith the external input AC power.
 5. The auto-synchronous isolated inletpower converter of claim 4, wherein the DC to AC converter is furtherconfigured to generate the output AC power to the AC outlet receptaclewhen the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is operating ina master mode, wherein the output AC power is generated from theadditional AC power from the DC power supplied by the DC source and isnot in parallel with the external input AC power.
 6. Theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter of claim 5, furthercomprising: a controller configured to synchronize the additional ACpower generated by the DC to AC converter with the external input ACpower coupled to an AC inlet receptacle before the additional AC powergenerated by the DC to AC converter passes through to an AC outletreceptacle during the transition from the master mode to the slave mode.7. The auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter of claim 6,further comprising: a first relay coupled to the AC inlet receptacle andthe AC outlet receptacle and configured to transition to the closedstate when the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter istransitioning from the master mode to the slave mode so that theexternal input AC power passes through the first relay to the AC outputreceptacle; and a second relay coupled to the DC to AC converter and theAC outlet receptacle and configured to transition to the closed stateafter the controller has synchronized the additional AC power to theexternal input AC power to allow AC power generated by the DC to ACconverter to pass through to the AC outlet receptacle and generateparalleled output AC power to the AC outlet receptacle so that theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is operating in theslave mode.
 8. A method for generating paralleled output alternatingcurrent (AC) power from an auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter, comprising: automatically generating paralleled output ACpower, wherein the paralleled output AC power is a combination of theexternal input AC power and DC power supplied by a DC source that isconverted to additional AC power so that the additional AC power issynchronized and combined in parallel to the external input AC power;and providing the paralleled output AC power to systems external to theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter.
 9. The method of claim8, further comprising: automatically transitioning the paralleled outputAC power to output AC power when the external input AC power is nolonger coupled to the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter,wherein the output AC power is converted from the DC power supplied bythe DC source of the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter andis not in parallel with the external input AC power.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising: providing the output AC power to thesystems external to the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converterwhen the input AC power is no longer coupled to the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter.
 11. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: generating paralleled output AC power when theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is operating in a slavemode, wherein the paralleled output AC power is the output AC powergenerated from the external input AC power and the DC power supplied bythe DC source that is converted to additional AC power that issynchronized and in parallel with the external input AC power.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising: generating the output AC powerwhen the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is operating ina master mode, wherein the output AC power is generated from theadditional AC power from the DC power supplied by the DC source and isnot in parallel with the external input AC power.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: synchronizing the additional AC powergenerated by the DC to AC converter with the external input AC powercoupled to an AC inlet receptacle before the additional AC powergenerated by the DC to AC converter passes through to an AC outletreceptacle during transition from the master mode to the slave mode. 14.The method of claim 13, further comprising: transitioning a first relaycoupled to the AC inlet receptacle and the AC outlet receptacle to theclosed state when the auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter istransitioning from the master mode to the slave mode so that theexternal input AC power passes through the first relay to the AC outputreceptacle; and transitioning a second relay coupled to the DC to ACconverter and the AC outlet receptacle to the closed state after theadditional AC power is synchronized to the external input AC power toallow AC power generated by the DC to AC converter to pass through tothe AC outlet receptacle and generate paralleled output AC power to theAC outlet receptacle so that the auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter is operating in the slave mode.
 15. An auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter configuration, comprising: a firstauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter included in a pluralityof auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converters configured to: actas a master auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter when thefirst auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter fails to detectfirst external input alternating current (AC) power coupled to the firstauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter, wherein the masterauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter automatically providesfirst output AC power to a slave auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter included in the plurality of auto-synchronous isolated inletpower converters; and a second auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter included in the plurality of auto-synchronous isolated inletpower converters configured to: automatically transition into generatingthe paralleled output AC power, wherein the paralleled output AC poweris output AC power generated by the second auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter that is in parallel with the output AC powergenerated by the first auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter,and act as a slave auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter whenthe second auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter detects thefirst output AC power provided by the first auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter.
 16. The auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter configuration of claim 15, wherein the master auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter is further configured to apply a constantvoltage to an AC bus that couples each of the plurality ofauto-synchronous isolated power converters to maintain the paralleledoutput AC power that is generated by the auto-synchronous isolated inletpower configuration at a level.
 17. The auto-synchronous isolated inletpower converter configuration of claim 16, wherein the slaveauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is further configured tomonitor a voltage level associated with the AC bus to determine whetherthe voltage level decreases below a threshold, wherein the threshold ofthe voltage level is a minimum voltage level that is required tomaintain the paralleled output AC power at a level sufficient to satisfya power requirement of the auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter configuration.
 18. The auto-synchronous isolated inlet powerconverter configuration of claim 17, wherein the slave auto-synchronousisolated inlet power converter is further configured to generate anincrease in current applied to the AC bus to increase the voltage levelassociated with the AC bus so the voltage level is within the thresholdwhen the voltage level associated with the AC bus decreases below thethreshold to maintain the paralleled output AC power at the levelsufficient to satisfy the power requirement of the auto-synchronousisolated inlet power configuration.
 19. The auto-synchronous isolatedinlet power converter configuration of claim 18, wherein the slaveauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is further configured togenerate a decrease in current applied to the AC bus when the voltagelevel associated with the AC bus is maintained within the threshold bythe constant voltage applied to the AC bus by the masterauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter.
 20. Theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter configuration of claim19, wherein the master auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converteris further configured to: monitor the voltage level associated with theAC bus to determine whether the voltage level decreases below thethreshold for a period of time, wherein the period of time is indicativethat the slave auto-synchronous isolated inlet power converter is notproviding sufficient current to the AC bus to maintain the voltage levelassociated with the AC bus within the threshold; and generate anincrease in current applied to the AC bus to increase the voltage levelassociated with the AC bus so the voltage level to within the thresholdwhen the voltage level associated with the AC bus decreases below thethreshold for the period of time to maintain the paralleled output ACpower at the level sufficient to satisfy the power requirement of theauto-synchronous isolated inlet power configuration.